Biographical Data :

Name :

Hasan Al Basri

Period :

642 - 728

Biographical detail :

A celebrated preacher in Basra and a leader of a religious reform.

Hasan al-Basri who was brought in Madinah in circles close to the Prophet, peace be upon him, later moved to Basra where he developed a spirituality based on contempt for worldly goods. His frugal way of life became an eloquent and potentially subversive criticism of the luxury of the court.

Hasan al-Basri’s reform in Basra taught his followers to meditate deeply on the Qura’an and to reflect and to self-examine and to a total surrender to Allah’s will. And that, according to al-Basri, were the source of happiness and that resolved the tensions between human desires and what Allah desired for men and women.

Hasan al-Basri supported the Umayyads, but made it clear that he reserved the right to criticise them if they deserved it. Human beings, according to al-Basri, had free will and were responsible for their actions. Therefore, the caliphs must be accountable for their deeds, and must be taken to task if they disobeyed Allah’s clear teaching.